This invention relates to methods and devices for the treatment of inches, rashes, and skin-diseases, and particularly to such methods and devices which effect such treatments by the application of heat at specific temperatures and for specific periods of time.
Doctors know that UV light relieves psoriasis and eczema, but how? Use activated vitamin D did not give the same effect. It is now known that UV activates a group of genes called stress-genes, which produce stress proteins. These proteins are responsible for keeping the skin healthy and beautiful, and effectively clear up skin problems. Since UV can also cause DNA damage and skin-cancer, it is not the ideal means to activate stress-genes. Many other forms of energy have been found to be not only more powerful than UV in activating stress-genes, but also more effective at clearing up skin problems.
Since heat is the safest energy, it does not cause DNA damage, or skin-cancer, and it is the most effect one in activate stress genes. Also, since the heat destroys toxins below the surface of the skin and shows the best results in clearing up skin-problems, the present invention is intended for the treatment of skin itch, skin rash, and related skin diseases by means of the controlled application of heat.
The use heat in the treatment of skin diseases has been known for a long time. folk remedies using heat exist in many different cultures, and the origins of these remedies are often obscure.
However, the use of heat in the treatment of skin itch and rash is different from such treatment for other skin problems. An article in the British Journal of Dermatology 122(4):501-12, 1990, by Benee A. Glover, Cynthia S. Bailey, Kim E. Barrett, S. I. Wasserman and Irma Gifli, of the Division of Dermatology and Allergy Department of Medicine, University of CA, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, Calif. entitled: Histamine release from rodent and human mast cells induced by protoporphyrin and ultraviolet light: studies of the mechanism of mast-cell activation in erythropoietic protoporphyria, deals with just this issue. In a study reported therein, it was found that heating or prolonged heating at temperatures lower than 45xc2x0 C. exacerbates skin itch and rash, but does not have any detrimental effect on most other skin problems. Those temperature ranges found effective against itch and rash are generally in excess of 49xc2x0 C., Sufficiently hot to result in pain if applied to the skin for more than 3 seconds.
Furthermore, for treating itch and rash the temperature must be maintained at the superficial surface, that is not deeper than dermis where the mast cells are located. This must be done without burning the skin, or causing excessive discomfort. The mast cells must be inactivated, but the inner part tissues such as blood vessels must be maintained at a safe temperature, thus avoiding edema and pain. This is so whether or not the inactivation of mast cells is the sole mechanism for stopping itch. There is some variation of the best effective temperature for treating itch and rash, depending on factors which are discussed below.
The inventor has been found that different types of itches and rashes require different treatment temperatures. These best effective temperatures depend, inter alia, on whether the patient being treated is a child or an adult and women or men. All of the treatment temperatures require, however, are within a range of about 10xc2x0 C. It has been found that the use of these best effective temperatures, to within a tolerance of plus or minus one-half, effectively avoids side effects, such as edema and rebound of itch. And, for most people, temperatures below 49xc2x0 C. must be avoid, as they worsen itch and rash, rather than providing relief. All of the effective temperatures against itch have been found to be above 49xc2x0 C. Temperatures of 49xc2x10.5xc2x0 C. have been fond optimum for children, as have temperatures of 52xc2x10.5xc2x0 C. C for adults and 47xc2x0 C. is for toddlers and some temperature sensitive women, in the case of itch.
Different parts of the body have also been found to have different best effective temperatures. For example, 50xc2x0 C. is the best temperature for a child or an adult face, 52xc2x0 C. for adult body and arm skin, and 54xc2x0 C. for adult leg skin. If 50xc2x0 C. is used for adult leg skin that is thicker than the face skin, the itch will not be stopped and side effects, such as edema and rebound of itch, may result. Furthermore, best effective temperature is also dependent upon the rate at which the skin is heated, and for that reason best effective temperature may change with changed in the material actually in contact with the skin. The above temperatures are for a planar steel heating surface.
New versions of the device are in development which will allow regulation of the temperature to take into account personal variations of the best effective temperature.
Experimental results, as well as the report of Glover, et al., Id., make it clear that the heating time of the skin should be as short as possible, while still receiving the benefit required. Thus the direct contact of the heating element to the skin provides the most direct method to effect an optimum treatment of this nature. This direct contact is accomplished in the present invention by a circular metal heat transfer surface of approximately one inch diameter. The direct contact also provides advantage in controlling the speed to heat up the skin. some materials can control the amount of heat to pass to the skin in a timely manner. They will be used as the skin heater or be put on the surface of the skin-heater so to heat the skin to the desired temperature in an desired time. This will avoid the pain and effectively clear up the itch. The reason for this is because if the skin is heated up to fast, it will get pain, if too slow, it will worsen the itch.
At present, there exist a number of commercially available devices which apply heat to the skin for therapeutic purposes. However, none of these is effective against skin itch and rash, because none of them accurately and precisely apply the required temperatures for treating itch and rash. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,297 (Ratkoff) describes a device which is used to heat the skin, and it further contains a reflector to direct the radiation from the heating element to the skin. Such an arrangement is incapable of the precision in controlling and maintaining temperature, required of the current invention.
Other apparatuses that are already known to heat the skin for therapeutic purposes are as described, for example, in the documents of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,763,657 (Chen); 4,657,531 (choi); and 4,907,589 (Cosman). None of these have provisions to precisely control and maintain temperature, as required of the current invention.
Without a precise temperature control, measured at the surface of the skin, the user, to avoid pain, will always chose a temperature lower that the effective temperature, which will often just worsen the itch, rather than curing it.
Other old methods of heat treatment for skin ailments include the use of scalding water to heat the skin to stop itch. This method obviously can not be done with the amount of control required to effect the best effective temperature, or with control of the time of application. For these reasons, this method has been abandoned.
As shown in the following results, this invention is different from the above treatments. it clears up skin problems in about 2 months and eliminates itching within one minute. The invention is called ItchStopper in the following results.
Our clinical trial results on Psoriasis (two-month test,).
The heat may also destroy the toxin of poison ivy: When the poison ivy was treated with the Itch Stopper for about 3 minutes then applied to patients, it failed to cause any poison-ivy symptoms in all patients tested, indicating the Electronic Itch Stopper may destroy poison ivy.
The Electronic Itch Stopper worked on every poison-ivy patient tested.
Effect on poison-ivy-erythema size: Visible erythema size decreases were observed in 30 minutes after the Electronic Itch Stopper treatment while in the control group, no changes was observed.
on poison-ivy-erythema size change after treatment (20 patients)
Electronic Itch Stopper cured about 50% stage-I-acne in just three days. Among the 103 acne patients tested, 81.2% patients got significant improvement in just three days. Most patients showed visible results in 6 hours after the treatment. The following tables shows the effect.
Electronic Itch Stopper effect on stage I acne (3 day test)
Every acne has its early stage. If patients treat all their acne in the early stage, their acne problem will be eliminated.
Electronic Itch Stopper success rate on itch dues to herpes, eczema, ulticaria, and dermatitis is about 98.4%.
The apparatus disclosed in detail below is both practical and economical to use. In addition to its preferred forms it may be made in a variety of sizes and shapes.
The device includes easy-to-understanding instructions which specify the best effective temperature for a variety of skin conditions, skin types, and ages. A light indicator located on the body of the invention flashes when the heater reaches the predetermined temperature commanded by the temperature selector, and the user is instructed not to apply the heater until this indicator flashes. In alternate embodiments, a sonic signal is used t indicate that the devices has reached its operating temperature.
A further alternative embodiment includes a heating surface which repetitively retracts and extends. This automatic intermittent application of the heater is especially important when higher temperatures are required for the treatment, since higher temperature require shorter application times, repeated at short intervals.
Because the effective temperature against itch is so high as to be intolerable if applied for longer than 3 seconds, means are provided to heat the skin to the effective temperature range, such as 52xc2x0 C., for about 2 seconds and then let it cool down to a tolerable temperature, such as 47xc2x0 C., for about half second. This process is repeated for between one to ten minutes in order to cure skin diseases.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus effective against skin diseases and itch. It is a further object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which is simple, inexpensive, and portable.
According to one aspect of the current the apparatus, operating by means of the controlled application of heat, comprises heating means providing a specific best effective temperature, control means to control the heater temperature in about xc2x11xc2x0 C. A more complicated one comprises temperature selection means within the range of 46 to 56xc2x0 C., means to accurately detect heater temperature, control means to regulate the temperature in concert with said detection means to within plus or minus one-half degree centigrade, and heating means controlled by said control means. The heating means are capable of raising the skin to the selected temperature within approximately ten seconds and maintaining it at that temperature. All of these are contained within a housing comprising a contact end, with the heating means positioned in the contact end. The temperature selection and detection means are also contained within the housing and are accessible to the user.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises a substantially planar heat transfer surface located at the contact end, heated by said heating means. This surface is substantially circular, with a diameter of at least one-half inch. Material that allow a desired amount of heat to pass to the skin in a desired time may be used as the planar or be put on the surface of it.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises signaling means to indicate that the user""s skin is at the selected temperature, as well as means to select one of a multiplicity of temperatures, each such temperature comprising a best effective temperature for a particular treatment, and comprising means to control skin temperature to within one-half degree centigrade.
According to a forth aspect of the invention, the heating means further comprises a slideably moveable heating surface positioned within the contact end, said heating surface having an extended position in which the surface is in contact with the skin of the user and a retracted position out of contact with the skin. Also included are means to position the surface at either position, and selection means to control said motion.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the positioning and selection means provide a periodic motion of the heating surface, and the selection means provides control of frequency and duty cycle of said motion.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises means to select one or more additional temperatures, so that, when cyclical operation is selected, heat will be alternately be applied first at the first selected temperature, then at the second selected temperature, and so on until all the selected temperatures have been applied in sequence, then at the selected temperature, and repeating indefinitely.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises a grid at the contact end, said grip having a multiplicity of apertures. The heat transfer surface contains a multiplicity of protrusions which extend through the grid apertures when the surface is in extended position.